Carton



D. LEVKOFF May 6, 19.52

CARTON Filed Nov. 2, 1948 INVENTOR. jazrzld/ [er/{off 9" L; Z azz WayPatented May 6, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT QFEECE CARTON David LevkofffGreat Neck, N. Y. Application November 2, 1948, Serial No. 57,960

tion are usually employed for holding vegetables,,

fruits and similar goods, and consist of a body of somewhat elongatedform having side walls and .end walls which rise above the side wallsand are provided at the top with inwardly extending flaps. These cartonsand their contained goods are usually wrapped in a transparent coveringby suitable wrapping machinery and provide a neat and compact protectivepackage for the goods.

In many cases, packers desire to employ this type of container, andbeing without the necessary wrapping machinery, find it inconvenient todo so. Hence it is desirable that some means be provided as a substitutefor the above-mentioned wrapping for closing the open top of the trayand which means need not necessarily be applied by machinery; which canbe applied by hand and when in place will form a strong, sturdy covermember for the carton, yet one which, while fully protecting thecontents of the carton, will nevertheless permit the same to be visiblefor inspection with the same facility and ease as the usual transparentwrapping applied by a wrapping machine.

The present invention therefore contemplates the provision of a suitablecover member for a carton of the character described, which cover memberwill tend to stiiien and strengthen the carton; which will interengagewith portions thereof to thereby prevent separation of the carton andcover member therefor and which will afford commensurate protection forthe contents of the carton.

These and other objects are attained by the invention, a more particulardescription of which will hereinafter appear and be set forth in theclaims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an 11-- lustrative embodiment ofthe invention is disclosed, Fig. l is a top plan view of the covermember of the carton in its flattened condition; Fig. 2 is a perspectiveview of one end of the same in its folded condition and in readiness tobe fitted on a carton; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a carton with thecover member fitted thereon; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of one end ofthe carton with the cover fitted thereon, with one of the side walls ofthe carton broken away to disclose construction, and Fig. 5 is asectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4, looking in the directionof the arrows.

.3 Claims. (Cl. 229-43) Referring to the drawing, I indicates generallythe cover member of the carton in its flattened condition and before itis folded to position. for insertion in a carton. Said cover member isintended for fitment upon'a carton of tray like form, an example ofwhich is disclosed in my patent heretofore mentioned. Trays of thatconstruction, and other somewhat similar types of trays, are generallyemployed for containing ve-etables, such as tomatoes, fruits and othercommodities. The tray is of elongated form, composed of cardboard, andis provided with a bottom it from which arise the relatively low sidewalls H. At each end, the carton is provided with an end wall, usuallycomposed of two plies for strength, the inner ply including a foldeddownflap or tab l8 constituting a locking member and. usually having itslower end tucked into a slit in the bottom of the carton to thereby holdthe flap or tab l8 in its operative or locking position. The fold onwhich said flap or tab 8 is downwardly folded is indicated at l9, saidfold forming a shoulder which co-operates with shoulder portions Ill andl I provided on the cover member I in a manner to be presentlydescribed.

The outer ply of each end Wall, indicated at 2B, rises well above theupper edges of the side walls I! and the upper end of said ply 20 is inthe form of an inwardly extending flap 2| tapering in shape from itspoint of joinder to the end wall to its free end. Thus, at each end ofthe 7 box is provided a relatively high end wall having an inturnedtapered free-end flap 2!. The tray just described is open at thetop andafter being filled with the goods which it is to contain, the cover,generally indicated at I, is placed in position. Said cover consists ofa generally rectangular sheet of cardboard or flexible material providedwith an opening or window 2 covered by transparent sheet material 3,preferably, but not necessarily, of cellulosic nature. In the event thatit is not desirable or necessary for the contents of the carton to bevisible through the cover, the transparent material may be omittedtogether with the window opening 2, or a nontransparent material mightbe used to close the window opening 2.

To place the cover member in condition for fitment on the open top ofthe carton, said member is folded on the parallel score lines 4 and 5,thus dividing the cover member into a substantially horizontal top panelId and downwardly dependent parallel wings l2 and is, extending inwardlyfrom the opposite ends 8 and 9 of the cover member, and on the scorelines t and 5, are

slits 5 and I constituting locking elements for holding the coveragainst raising movement after it has been fitted in place on thecarton. Each of the wings l2 and I3 is cut away below the slits 6 and Ito provide the shoulders Ill and H which rest upon the folds ill of thecarton when the cover is fitted in position, as clearly seen in Fig. 4.

From the foregoing, the manner in which the cover is fitted on thecarton and retains itself thereon will be readily understood. When thecover member is folded into its operative position, or that shown inFig. 2, it is fitted down into the carton and its Wings 12 and [3 willfit inside of the carton and against the side walls I! of the carton andwill lie closely adjacent or contiguously to the same. The top panel 14of the cover member will come to rest upon the inwardly-extending flaps2|, and the tapered formation or shape of these flaps is such that theportions of the flaps indicated at 22 and 23 in Figs. 3 and 4, willenter the slits 6 and 'I and interlockingly engage the same. Thisinterengagement betwen the slits 6 and 'l and the edge portions 22 and23 of the flaps 2| will tend to hold the cover member down in positionon the carton and restrain it from inadvertent lifting or raisingmovement. The cover is also stiffened or held against downward collapseby the shoulders and H of the side wings resting upon the fold IS, thelatter thus constituting a supporting shoulder for the wings l2 and IS.

The cover member constructed as above described is readily and speedilyplaced in position on a tray-like carton and will hold itself securelyin place and protect the contents of the carton. The cover member isreadily placed in position by manual operation and readily seats itselfin the locking position heretofore described and will not readily bedislodged. The transparent panel or window permits a display or thegoods, and the carton and its contents are thus not only attractive inappearance but functionally practical and useful.

While I have herein described the improved cover member as being appliedto a carton of a certain specific construction, this disclosure isobviously an illustrative one since the cover memher is applicable tocartons of other generally similar constructions. It is thereforeobvious that the invention is not to be restricted to the exact iembodiment shown, but is broad enough to cover all structures comingwithin the scope of the claims appended hereto.

What I claim is:

1. In a carton construction, a tray-shaped carton having an open top,side walls, end walls composed of inner and outer plies, the inner plyhaving a part folded down and constituting a locking flap, the outer plyrising above the inner ply and terminating in an inwardly-directedsubstantially horizontal flap, the fold in the inner ply forming ashoulder, a substantially U-shaped cover member consisting of a sheetfolded to form a top panel and dependent side wings, the wings beingentrant into the carton, the opposite edges of said wings being cut-awayto form shoulders adapted to rest upon the shoulders formed by thedownward fold in the inner ply when the cover member is inserted in thetop of the tray.

2. In a carton construction as provided for in claim 1, wherein the sidewings are formed with slits extending inwardly from its opposite endsand located above the shoulders, said slits being adapted for interlockwith the inwardly extending flaps on the outer plies of the end walls tothereby hold the cover member from raisin movement.

3. In a carton construction, a tray having side walls, end walls higherthan the side walls, the end walls being each provided at the top withan inwardly-extended substantially horizontal flap, said end walls eachalso including a down-turned locking flap defining a shoulder on the endwall below the horizontal flap, a U -shaped cover member consisting of aseparate sheet having a top panel and a pair of dependent side wings,the cover member being fitted in the top of the tray to bring its toppanel into contact with the horizontal flaps thereof, the cover memberbeing pro vided at each end with a pair of slits for interlock with theopposite side edges of each of the horizontal fiaps to hold the covermember against raising movement, and the side wings being formed withshoulders resting upon the folds of the locking flaps to thereby limitthe descent of the side wings into the tray.

DAVID LEVKOFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,033,550 Crankshaw July 23, 19121,174,012 Bristol et al. Feb. 29, 1916 1,357,519 Russell Nov. 2, 19202,162,089 Kagan June 13, 1939 2,297,284 Blackman Sept. 29, 19422,342,551 Levkoff Feb. 22, 1944 2,409,736 Caimi Oct. 22, 1946 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 155,529 Great Britain Dec. 23, 1920

